Elk Knob State Park.

North Carolina's newest state park is Elk Knob State Park. It was formed mainly due to the efforts of local residents and land conservation groups. The slopes and summit of this 5,520-foot summit were going to be developed as residential subdivisions, but instead have become the latest addition to the state's park system.

The park consists of 3,680 acres of forests. It has been minimally developed with a road leading to a visitor's center, a trailhead parking lot, and a picnic area. There are some back country campsites but no traditional tent and trailer camping sites.

Since the park is less than eight miles from the center of the college town of Boone, it can get pretty crowded up there on a weekend. So don't go expecting to find much in the way of solitude unless you can go on a weekday. One cool thing about the park is that it's one of the few reliable areas in this part of North Carolina where you can go snowshoeing and cross country skiing when the occasional snowstorm hits the high country. And at over 5500 feet above sea level, this park does get its fair share of heavy snow.